Bin door



May l, 1923. 1,453,472

A. H. MCINTYRE l BIN DOOR Filed Feb. l 1922 Patented May l, 192;

U ETE eras . Learn yBIN DOOR.

Applicaties ined February 1', 'ie22. serial-No. 533,228;

` To @ZZ w hom t may concern:

Beit known that I, ALLAN MOINTYRE, a vcitizen of the United States,residingv at Dunedin, in the county ofl Pinellas and State of Florida,`have invented certainnew vand useful Improvements in Bin Doors, of whichthe following isA a specification.

Bin doors, particularlythat type heretoe fore employed in fruit binsthrough which the fruit is discharged when desired, have seriousobjections, the principal one being that the fruit remaining m the binadjacent the bin openingor door is bruised at the y l v `extendingtransversely' beneath' the doorv time of opening or closing of the doorand in certain cases the opening or closing of the door directs thestream ow of fruit an' gularly to one side of the door opening.

f lThis invention relates tov a bin door adapted for opening Vandclosing without bruisingor pinching the fruit and without changingthenormal flow direction of the fruit passing through the door opening. Theinvention consists principally in providing a doorv for controlling theopening and which operates from beneath the bin,

substantially in a vertical plane.

In the drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of my invention isillustrated- Fig. l is a transverse sectional view of a bin opening withmy improved door associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the bin door opening with thedoor in closed position.

In the embodiment illustrated in the various figures of the drawing, andin each, l indicates a bin frame mounting a joist or support 2 to whichis secured the forward edge of a fabric 3 which is tightly stretched andwhich forms the bottom Of the bin, said fabric being inclined toward themember 2. The front wall l of the bin is cut vertically as at 5 forminga door opening 6 of the desired width and which opening is adapted to beclosed by a door 7, illustrated as of fabric construction, prefer` ablycanvas, of a width corresponding to that of the door opening 6 and of alength slightly greater than the ldepth thereof. At

its upper and lower edges the door 7 is strengthened by the respectivebars 8 andl 9, the bar 8 being at the upper edge and the ends 10 thereofextending laterally beyond the edges of the door for reception vwithinrecesses or notches-livin the `upper ALLAN H. MCINTYRE, or DUNEDIN,FLORIDA, AssreNonr 'rosKrNNnn MACHINERY surface ofthe bin'front-'wallet' when the door is in closed position.

To the'center of the is secured one end of -a'tension spring 12, fixedat its opposite end, as atl, and the tension of which is adapted tomaintain lOWer edge .of the door 7 preferably through 'thefmigmioveps),`

the door 0r curtain' T taut-at all'times when either open or closed andtoy maintain the inner surf-ace thereofin Contact with the point 14ofrthe joist 2. Y

lllustrated as carriedbyithejoist 2 andV opening 6 `with its innery.surface spaced from thev outer face of thek joist 2 is a `guide rod l5within which *operates the curtain or door 7. VVhen the curtain is'lowered'or f drawn downwardly by the actionl of the spring 12, theportions 10 of'frod `8` contact with the ends of the guide rod 15 andlimit the downward movement. of `the curtain,

`and when said curtain isV raised or 'moved to closedv position', theguilde rod 15l together with the spring l2 precludes the bulgingv of thecurtain to permit the escape of the fruit from the bin.

By this curtain operating in a vertical pla-rie` it will be observedkthat the fruit,

either on the opening or closing ofthe door or curtain, is not forcedagainst any permanent wallas in case of 4swinging doors, andis,.therefore, not bruised or pinched, and it will ybe observed thatduring the raising or lowering of the curtainY the fruitv I level abovethe upper edge 8 thereof enables within said opening for closing thesame, a

guide at the base of said door opening below the floor through whichsaid door slides, means carried by the door for engaging the door wallfor holding the door in closed po- A sition, said means adapted forengaging said guide to limit the opening movement of the door.

2. In combination with a substantially vertically disposed bin wallprovided with a door opening, a door of flexible material verticallyslidable within said door opening, stiiening rods disposed transverselyof the upper and lower edges of the door, the ends or' the upper rodprojecting beyond the side edges of the door, stops at opposite sides ofthe upper end of the door opening for re- CV-iving said projecting endsto retain the door in closed position', a guide at the lower end of saiddoor opening and through which the door slides and with which saidprojecting ends Contact when the door is in full open position, and aspring secured to the lower edge of the door ttor retaining the 'samestretched'within the door opening and for lowering` the door on therelease of said projecting ends from said Stopp.

3. ln combination with `a door opening having upwardly extending sidewalls, a door for closing said opening and comprising flexible curtainmovable vertically in said door` opening, a guide at the lower endoisaid opening and through which said curtain passes when operated,means secured to the lower edge oit' the curtain for maintainingthelAsa-ine under tension, a rod at the upper edge of the curtain forbracing the same, said rod adapted to engage the walls of said guide andlimit the lowering of the curtain, and devices engageable by the rod onthe raising of the curtain to close said door opening `for holding thecurtain in closed position.

A bin having a side wall and a bottom wall inclined downwardly towardsaid side wall, said, side wall; provided with a door opening, a doorfor closing said opening and comprising a flexible curtain movableverti'c'ally in said door opening, a guide surface at the lower end ofsaid opening and over which the curtain slides when operated., meanssecured to the lower edge of the curtain for maintaining the same undertension and for drawing the sajme angularly and inwardly beneath thebin, a rod at the upper edge of the curtain for bracing the same andifor limiting the downward opening movement ofthe'curtain, and: .devicesengage'able by the rod on the raising of the curtain for closing saidopening and adapted tor holding the curtain in closedposition.V

. 5. ln combination with a bin having a floor ,and ar substantiallyvertically disposed bin ALLAN H. MCKINTYRE.

